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Hydra
Hydra Squadron History *Active Pilot Bio's *Planes used by the Hydras Hydra Squadron History : March 4, 2014 - Cairns Domestic Airport: The air in northern queensland is hot. Not hot like the dry desert heat of Iraq or Afghanistan. Hot like you just tripped over a rock and landed in vietnam. The air is thick like a soup and nearly as wet, temperatures only jump to around 38 Celcius on a bad day, but the humidity makes sure you can't sweat, so it might as well be 48 degrees. The high air pressure and existing tourism made Cairns an ideal place for a venturing air racing competition to make its first foray into Australia, where the Aero GP would carve out a foothold in a market recently forsaken by Red Bull Air racing, and promise a more exciting event. Simultaneous Air Races, and Air Dogfight tournament, Barnstorming Acrobatics and Bomb-dropping competitions, Pilots like Andrew Dempster, an ex RAAF Wing Commander, were meant to be the local meat, a rallying point for curious viewers to support and key to the expansion of the Aero GP franchise. : As the early events of the weekend were about to come into play Andrew, strapped into his Extra 300SP, suddenly lost his ATC priveliges and the radio channels became filled with the Tower ordering all civilian pilots out of the air. No detail was being given over regular radio frequencies or ATC, so the plane was parked and Andrew went to the nearest bar to investigate. The Australian Government was being very quiet about what was happening, but it soon became apparent that a conflict of some sort had broken out between them and the Indonesian Air Force. Embassies were suddenly closed, ambassadors left or were thrown out to other countries to find their way home, all of a sudden all communication lines between both states had stopped. : With no flying to do and the AeroGP venture seemingly cancelled, Andrew stayed at the pub and met more of the pilots who were coming to watch or take part in the spectacle. He met Hari Singh and Hugo van den Berg at the bar, pilots who came to watch and heckle the lesser pilots, most in the 'dogfight' tournament had never seen combat. They talked and got along well, speculating on the event that shut Cairns Airport down and bullshitting each other over which would win in an all out war. A brief visit to the bathroom nearly turned deadly when Jessica Meier smashed a local's head against the wall, after the man used Meier's limited english to convince her that he owned a F-106 Delta Dart, when the 'dart' he was really talking about was in his pants. It wasn't the last fight either, Kim Soo-Ah and Chang-wu Perron nearly butting heads over their opinions of China. The group ended up going on a bar crawl together, visiting one drinking hole after another and telling life stories that got more grand the drunker everyone got. Eventually the topic flowed onto the growth of PMC corporations and their role in the fracas out near East Timor. : The next morning, the lot of them ended up in Andrew's AeroGP paid hotel room at the Cairns Hilton, barely anything memorable from last night for any of them, except for the grand (and probably stupid) idea of starting their own PMC flight, and a name. Hydra Flight (None of the pilots will verify if "Two up for every one down!" was a later motto or a drinking game they invented the previous night). When Andrew pushed the idea to his AeroGP team, which was owned by Red White and Blue Incorporated, the took to the suggestion immediately, always looking for quality pilots to earn some dosh. Before they new it, the hungover Hydras were on their way to Port Moresby to help police the UN No Fly Zone. Active Pilot Bio's Andrew Dempster: Personal: Born in the outer suburbs of Perth in Western Australia, Andrew was a miner's child in a mining family. Andrew Dempster was moved around consistently as a child, and learnt quickly that it was better to be extroverted and be commanding in making friends, rather than having no friends at all. Leaving high school the only option he felt he had was going to university, but never really fitted in, chopping and changing degrees several times before quitting in his third year, unsure what to do with his life. Seeing the armed services for both a consistent, rewarding career, the place of living being determined by him, and the achievement of a childhood dream, he applied for Australian Defense Force as a helicopter pilot initially, aiming to use his specialisation in science in high school as a leverage into training as a helicopter pilot. When his recruiting officer informed him he finished in the top five percentile of his class and was eligible to join the fighter pilot training program, he jumped at the opportunity. Andrew's steady hand and calm demeanour and extensive time as a child reading about jet fighters all helped, and his physics study during university gave him the edge he needed to succeed. His instructors praised his fluid adaptation from standard airmanship to flying jet training aircraft, flying the BAe Hawk like it was an extension of his own body, and took to Electronic Warfare like a fish to water, the upper echelon of the instructors recognised his talent and placed him into No. 77 Squadron, flying the F/A-18A Hornet, as well as being one of the first pilots given access to the E-18G Growler, an Electronic Superiority fighter based on the F-18 Superhornet. Andrew remains cool under pressure, but has been known to take command confidently when the heat is really on. Andrew was sent for cross-training programs with several allied nations, including a cross training program learning to carrier-launch the F-14 Tomcat and being the Australian representative pilot to test the F-35 Lightning II in its expensive and protracted development stage, he has rarely spoken publicly of his opinions, except to an inquiry about the program's cost, which was surpressed from press access. Commissioned as a pilot in 2008, he enjoyed several years of combat experience flying sorties Afghanistan, but most of his EWar experience went to waste there, with most of the Taliban's Air Defence being IR-operated MANPADs. Andrew earned the rank of Wing Commander in 2013, placing him more often than not flying with his own squadron for most flights. The second downturn of the world economic market forced the ADF's hand to cutting staff all around, and command officers were forced to cut numbers severely from specialty divisions not considered to be at current use for Anti-Terrorism strategy, and the concept of terrorists flying supersonic fighter-jets seemed laughable to the average politician. Many pilots within No. 77 Squadron were offered to be transferred out of piloting or having their contract cut short, Wing Cmdr. Dempster chose the latter, with the ADF keeping him in the Defence Pension listing for his service. Until he retired, however, he still needed to earn a crust, and so chose to join a PMC, where the opportunity for a less structured lifestyle and not having to shave daily appealed as a fresh change. Appearance: Andrew is a big man for a pilot, making most cabins a squeeze to fit in, leaving cockpit room at a premium. With a loud, commanding attitude and a rarely trimmed stubble, Andrew rarely cleans himself up except for major briefings and meeting new bosses, leaving time for tinkering with his plane or messing around with combat air simulators. While a bit of his muscle is going to fat, there's plenty left around, and his softer look is all the better for lulling his adversaries into a false sense of security. When things go to crap, ex-No.77 pilots can rarely think of a better wingman to help them out. Chang-wu Perron: A former member of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (China), Chang-wu Perron was a formidable pilot who lost his position sheerly from a lack of connections in a messy bereaucratic military. Unable to keep up with red tape put up by other pilots fighting for his role, Perron was relegated to transport and non-jet patrol duties, an insult to his talents. At the end of his contract he left the Air Force dispirited and disenfranchised. He ended up working for PMCs to make a crust, enjoying the freedom of thee role and the lack of red tape and bereaucracy. Hari Singh: Nationality: Indian Birthdate: August 13, 1983 Age: 32 Born to a well off family in Jaipur, Hari never saw himself becoming a pilot. His parents wanted him to become a doctor and up until 1999, he went along with their wishes. However, in 1999 his father was killed in a terrorist bombing. While deeply saddened, Hari continued to study while vowing to do something about it. After high school and after college for a medical degree, he sought out what he could do to make his father proud. Hari joined the flying branch of the Indian Air Force months after he received his degree at the rage of 22. Going through training, he was flying by 2005. While mostly resigned to flying patrols, he did get experience flying and training with a majority of the IAF’s aircraft. While taking a liking to more fighter craft, he can do well in multirole planes. In 2008 he participated in the Singapore-India joint training exercise, performing well enough to get recognized. In 2010, he was promoted to squadron leader, flying uneventful but successful patrol after patrol. In 2012, Hari encountered a Pakistani air patrol, and while his squadron and the enemies met to engage each other, he didn’t receive the ok to commit. He continued regular service till 2013, where with budgetary constraints and military downsizing led to Singh being honourably discharged. He later signed up and worked for a clinic before he got involved in the troubles between Indonesia and Australia. Kim Soo-Ah: Born: 5-27 Nationality: South Korean Kim started his piloting career when he joined the Republic of Korea Air Force. In a split country such as this, a key role is Intelligence, keeping track of pilot numbers, plane types, technology and outfitting that their enemies (and allies) use, intelligence that would prove crucial if another war broke out between the North and the South. Kim feels a conflicted sense of nationality, brought up under the democratic principles of South Korea, he can't help but feel sad for North Korea and wish for their re-uniting, as unlikely as it is. Although South Korea and Japan are good neighbours, both populations harbor an ingrained sense of distrust that's followed through generations. With both Koreas being at a (shaky at times) armistice, air drills and practices are very rare, it being too common for their northern neighbour to take anything of the kind of a provocation, and the South Korean brass don't want to risk another incident like the sinking during sea drills a few years ago. Being a small but rich nation stuck between China, North Korea and Japan, all of which take a dim view of military puffing by their neighbours, Kim felt his lack of experience could get him killed if the situation with North Korea escalated out of control. With the heavy amount of restriction placed on his actions at home, he travelled abroad when his contract ended to get the experience and training he desired. Jessica Meier: Born 21.8.1990 in Berlin/Germany Nationality: German Age: 27 BIO: Jessica got her first experience in the air from an Aviation Club near her home. Once she trained for and earnt her pilot's license, she managed to earn some short term work for various Private Military Companies flying civillian and cargo aircraft. Unsuprisingly, her lack of experience meant her contractees were unwilling to let her take control of multi-million dollar, highly explosive fighters, which was her eventual goal of working for these PMCs, besides the money. As combat in Yemen began to heat up, she and her PMC decided to cut their losses and leave, not long before the nearest PMC airbase was raided. Eventually she earnt some relatively safer patrol work in the phillipines with observation and aging jet aircraft, watching trade ship routes and escorting convoys. While taking a holiday in Australia during her annual leave, she drove up to Cairns to watch the AeroGP before fighting broke out between Australia and Indonesia, and she got her chance to fly the aircrafts she'd always wanted to fly. Appearance: Average in the purest meaning of the word ... but that ends when she starts talking, she can use her voice as a weapon of mass distraction. A lot of time spent talking on ATC and comm channels means she's honed her voice into a finely tuned weapon, and a lot more time spent researching all the planes she wants to fly means she can spot and identify craft from miles away. Planes used by Hydra Squadron F-105 Thunderchief F-15 C Eagle F-4 E Phantom II J35J Draken Category:Flights Category:Firestorm Campaign: Oceania